Red Report Back - Week Ending 19/02/2023

Burke Announces Labor’s Industrial Relations Plans for 2023

Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, Tony Burke, has further laid out his Industrial Relations agenda for 2023. The planned IR legislation is set to include changes to superannuation payments in the National Employment Standards, clarify coverage of temporary migrant workers and ensure stronger access to unpaid parental leave.

However, as with previous IR changes promised since the election, the timeframe on when these will be implemented remains sketchy. Indeed, Labor’s Same Job, Same Pay pledge is still yet be followed up on with legislation, as is the case for the coverage of gig economy workers, as well as plans to introduce jail terms for serious wage theft, and a refined definition of casual workers. 

As in any case of politician’s promises in the modern world, we must compare their platitudes with the proof of their actions. Indeed, the fact is that by and large, Labor are following the neoliberal policies of their Liberal predecessors by refusing to address the massive decline in wages that workers are experiencing amidst runaway inflation and cost of living pressures. 

Similarly, Burke refused to take action on concerns put forward by unions regarding free-riders and the proposed introduction of bargaining fees to address the issue. With union membership continuing to decline, workers are refusing to put their decreasing wages towards union dues when they can receive the perks regardless. This is the outcome of the Accords process and its demilitarisation of the union movement that has fostered a mentality of economic narrowness that has alienated workers from the union movement.

If these Industrial Relations changes are the best Labor has to offer a disenfranchised working class that is struggling to afford the cost of living, then we are in a very sorry state. Neoliberalism has attempted to pacify workers into being content with these piecemeal efforts, the scraps and crumbs of the capitalist, property owning class. We must amplify our voices of discontent to show that we not only want more, but that we demand more. And if our demands are not met, we will be taking the action required to achieve them. We have a long road ahead, and we must pace ourselves for the journey. Workers hunger for more than crumbs. Let that be a warning. tion runs away, wages stagnate and conditions are attacked. Dare to dream of a real victory, comrades. Even better, dare to make a real victory a reality.

Rents Rise in Regional Victoria as Workers Struggle to Find Homes

A new report by the Community Housing Industry Association has found 35,900 households in regional victoria are either experiencing homelessness or being forced to live in overcrowded properties. Additionally, it found that thousands more were facing rental stress, spending more than 30% of their income to access housing. 

The housing crisis has had severe impacts on regional communities that are short of housing stock, with older people and youth disproportionately impacted. This has led to community flight with many leaving the regions and communities they grew up in to find housing elsewhere, or being forced to live in camper vans and other precarious housing situations. 

CHIA highlighted how the Victorian government has made some investments towards the construction of social and affordable housing. However, a glaring omission is the lack of investment in public housing.

Once again, the capitalist state reveals its disdain for workers, seeing them only as a source for profit. ‘Solutions’ are presented that do nothing to address the issue, with a focus on ‘affordable’ and ‘social’ housing that is run by organisations that are notorious for cutting corners to lower their costs, at the expense of our wellbeing. We need public housing that is run not to generate profit or protect the investments of landlords, but rather keeps workers in their communities in quality, affordable state-owned housing. 

NSW Tightens the Noose on Civil Rights with New Organised Crime Laws

Australia’s top police and nanny state, New South Wales, has set the bar once again for the slide into fascism with its new organised crime laws, which they never seem to cease updating. These laws are purportedly aimed at targeting money laundering, unexplained wealth and encrypted devices to fight against organised crime. 

The Premier of the state, Perrotet, stated how these “stronger laws and more powers will keep people safe and will be crucial in our ongoing fight to disrupt the operations of organised criminal networks”. Indeed, now the people in the northern and southern regions of the state can feel safe knowing that the notorious, violent Raptor Squad now has new outposts in their areas. 

These expanded powers will allow police to stop and search for ‘unexplained wealth’, as well as making it an offence to possess a dedicated encrypted criminal communication device. Similarly, the police now have additional powers to direct a person to provide access to a digital device. 

As anyone who doesn’t base their beliefs on the the right-wing Murdoch press is aware, these laws spell bad news for those who care about civil liberties and human rights. Once again, the capitalist class has signed away the freedoms of workers under the guise of law and order. As previous ‘anti-bikie’ laws have shown, these laws end up being primarily used against marginalised groups (such as First Nations children) or those who politically dissent (such as environmental activists). 

It is our duty to educate on others on the significance of these laws and the ramifications they have on workers and organising against oppression in our communities. These laws are used to fracture communities, disrupt organisations and shackle movements until they are of no threat to the capitalist state and its quest for profits. Our enemies are tightening the noose with each passing week. It is up to us on whether we swing or cut ourselves free. 

 Voice Debate Continues to Pinball

There have been many developments regarding the Voice to Parliament over the last fortnight. Labor’s bill to introduce a Voice into the constitution is expected to be introduced in March, with the propaganda campaign accelerating as this draws closer. Albanese has attempted to take the moral high ground against Peter Dutton and the no campaign, beefing up his argument for a Yes vote with dissenting Liberals and “heavyweights of business” to quote the Guardian, including corporate criminals from BHP and other businesses that like to blow up and destroy Aboriginal sacred sights. 

Nothing more perfectly highlights the populist bullshit of the Australian government and its tokenistic posturing better than putting multinational business leaders at the head of a campaign speaking over grassroots First Nations communities, organisations and individuals so as to guilt trip the public into supporting their agenda! 

Indeed, the Greens followed suit by silencing its own First Nations caucus who dared to raise doubts about the gameplan put forward regarding the Voice. A two-day retreat by the Greens’ members nonetheless led to Lidia Thorpe leaving the party after refusing to bow to the populist demands of the party’s leadership, being replaced by the Voice-supporting, former Western Australian police officer Dorinda Cox as First Nations spokesperson. 

Thorpe leaves the party to join the cross-bench, stating that she will seek to act as the voice for the “black sovereign movement”. However, other First Nations activists have called out the hypocrisy of those who swear allegiance to the Crown purporting to represent those who have always stood against the colonial state, with Aboriginal Tent Embassy caretaker Murriguel Coe saying that “if they’ve been sworn in by the Crown, they can’t speak for us… they’ve lost that right by being an agent of the government”. 

As debate around the Voice heats up, the politicians in the Greens and ALP that care more about maintaining their positions in the capitalist state than in listening to those they purport to represent will further reveal their opportunist, sell-out nature. They will not challenge the legitimacy of the state beyond empty words, and will isolate and silence voices that dissent with reforming the colonial state to make it the best capitalism possible (if you are a privileged part of the system, that is). Indeed, Labor unveiled a plan that will throw $420 million towards “closing the gap”, attempting to buy First Nations support for the Voice. Indeed, these politicians know that billions in advertising and bribes to legitimise the capitalist and colonialist project is small change compared to the economic impacts of challenging the mining lobby and the capitalist right to rule in Australia. Always was, Always WILL BE.